Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each of the last five calendar years, how many appeals have been made against magistrates' court decisions which have rejected defendants' claims of exceptional hardship in proceedings concerning drivers liable to disqualification under the totting-up provisions; and how many of those appeals were successful.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on appeals against magistrates’ court decisions heard in the Crown Court in the Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly release which can be downloaded from the Criminal Court Statistics landing page here: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK. Table C11 provides details of appeals heard at the Crown Court.
However, data is not centrally recorded on the specific grounds of appeal, including whether an appeal relates to the rejection of an exceptional hardship argument in proceedings concerning drivers liable to disqualification under the totting-up provisions.
This information may be contained within individual court records. However, identifying and reviewing relevant cases would require a manual examination of those records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker, in respect of the evacuation of the House of Lords at 15:00pm on Thursday 2 July, (1) to what extent, if any, were members and staff of the House of Commons involved, (2) to what extent was the London Fire Brigade informed and involved, and (3) how long did the evacuation take, from the time of sounding the alarm to the last person leaving the building.
Answered by Lord McLoughlin
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The House of Commons was fully involved in the evacuation drill. For the purposes of evacuation, the Parliamentary Estate is treated as a single zone. Accordingly, the House of Commons Chamber was also evacuated during a debate.
The London Fire Brigade was informed in advance of the exercise. Its control room was notified and remained in contact throughout the drill. The local Borough Commander and the Station Commander from Soho were also informed. A representative from the London Fire Brigade's Risk Management Team attended and observed the exercise in order to provide feedback. In addition, the Chief Inspector from the Crown Premises Fire Safety Inspectorate attended to observe the evacuation.
The evacuation took a total of 15 minutes from commencement of the exercise until all members of the public and staff, excluding security personnel and designated observers, had left the building.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £487 million transferred from the Crown Estate to the Consolidated Fund in 2025–26 was subsequently allocated for use by the Royal Family.
Answered by Lord Livermore
The Crown Estate’s revenue account profit is paid in full to the Consolidated Fund. In exchange, the Government provides the Sovereign Grant to support the Monarch’s official business. The Grant does not provide an income to any member of the royal family.
As set out in the Sovereign Grant Review published on 25 June 2026, the Royal Trustees have determined that a reference rate of 20.5 per cent is appropriate for the funding formula from 2027-28 onwards, which equates to a 2027-28 Grant amount of £99.9 million, a reduction against the £137.9 million in 2026-27.
As the Sovereign Grant Act 2011 currently restricts the Grant amount from being set lower than the preceding year’s amount, the Government has committed to bring forward legislation to enable the Grant for 2027-28 to be set at this lower amount, to reflect the adjustment now that the temporary additional funding for Buckingham Palace Reservicing is no longer needed.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Commission on the UK’s involvement in the Military Mobility Package.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In May last year, the UK agreed a Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) with the European Union, as part of this Government’s commitment to strengthening European security, supporting economic growth and reinforcing NATO.
The UK wants to enable the efficient movement of military personnel and equipment across Europe in support of NATO’s plans and recognises that this is a shared objective with the EU. Closer cooperation on military mobility benefits both the UK and our European partners by helping forces move more quickly and effectively across the continent, strengthening collective deterrence and supporting European security.
Under the SDP, this includes cooperation on military mobility. In that context, the UK is progressing its applications to participate in the PESCO Military Mobility project and the Network of Logistic Hubs. We are also maintaining a dialogue with EU partners on the Military Mobility Package, including through recent senior-level discussions in Brussels on the UK’s involvement in practical terms.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (HL425), what is the estimated cost of full electrification of the East West Rail route compared to the lower capital cost of discontinuous electrification.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The costs of electrifying the full East West Rail route versus partial (discontinuous) electrification will depend on a number of factors including the final scope for the railway’s design and location of overhead line equipment. This is yet to be finalised and will be developed in light of feedback received in the East West Rail Company’s latest public consultation, which closed on 9 June this year.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to close the Pullman service on long-distance Great Western Railway trains.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There are currently no plans to close the Pullman dining service on Great Western Railway’s long-distance services. Department for Transport officials continue to engage closely with the operator to ensure that passenger expectations are met, including through the provision of high-quality catering options.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to putting HS2 Limited into administration and seeking alternative bids for the construction of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government has tasked the new leadership of HS2 Ltd with undertaking a comprehensive reset to ensure the project is delivered in a controlled way and at the lowest reasonable cost. Bringing in alternative delivery arrangements at this stage in the project would add further delay and cost.
It is the Government's long-term aim to see a full new railway between Birmingham to Manchester. This will not be a revival of HS2 and what will be delivered will be considered by a feasibility study working with local partners.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Transport on 19 May that there has been an “obscene increase in time and costs” associated with the construction of HS2 (HC Deb, col 416), why they are continuing with the construction of HS2; what action they are taking, if any, against those responsible for the increase in time and cost; whether they continue to use the same supply chain, contractors, and consultants; and what action they have taken to explore alternative supply chains, contractors, and consultants.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State for Transport provided an update to the House via her latest Parliamentary report on HS2 on 19 May, covering the progress achieved in resetting the programme in recent months. This includes the government's rationale for continuing with the construction of the programme, discussions with main suppliers to manage contracts in taxpayers' interests, and steps taken to strengthen commercial controls and improve delivery performance. This government put HS2 Ltd under new management, which has tightened spending controls with new specialist roles scrutinizing every payment to contractors and suppliers, and is reviewing contracts to ensure the right incentives are in place to drive delivery.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current estimate of the cost to complete the HS2 work between Old Oak Common and Handsacre, including the interchange station on the Great Western Mainline at Old Oak Common.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government announced in May 2026, the expected cost of delivering HS2 is now in the range of £87.7 - 102.7 billion. This is expressed in a mixed price base, including the cash outturn of works to date and the costs of future work excluding inflation.
These ranges cover the cost of the whole programme, stretching from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street and to the connection to the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre Junction, which will enable HS2 services to continue to the Northwest and Scotland. This includes the cost of HS2 work between Old Oak Common and Handsacre as well as the interchange station at Old Oak Common.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role they intend renewable liquid fuels to play in meeting current and future Carbon Budgets.
Answered by Lord Whitehead
Government recognises that renewable liquid fuels could play a role in meeting Carbon Budgets through a limited role in decarbonising heat for some off‑gas‑grid properties. However, evidence to date has highlighted challenges around affordability and sustainability, including the availability of sustainable feedstocks and the higher cost to consumers compared with other low‑carbon heating options. For this reason, the Government has been clear that further evidence is required before decisions are taken on whether and how such fuels could be supported at scale.
As part of this evidence‑gathering process, the Government recently consulted on the role of alternative clean heating solutions, including renewable liquid fuels such as HVO. A Government Response will be published in due course.